Blogging for some has become a hobby. They blog wherever and whenever they have access to the Internet. And for others like me, blogging has become a career that earns good money..and for some, really really good money.
While setting up a blog can be done in just a few minutes, what with free blogging platforms such as WordPress, Blogger, or TypePad, blogs found in their own domains have more impact.
Usual URL syntax can be www.blog.com or www.website.com/blog or as a sub-domain , www.blog.website.com . Your own domain is better than blogs on free servers because they make you look like you have authority and are seriously established.
Own domains give an impression that you are professional enough to pay for a hosting service. This means you are credible and can be trusted because you didn’t get some free sub-domains that you share with millions of people.
If you seriously want to make money with your website or blog, having your own domain is the first step to people trusting you. You can even assign different e-mail addresses to different people who matter to your website.
Domain names matter because they also help in having your website get indexed. Rumor has it that most search engines give emphasis on own domains rather than those free hosting services.
So in choosing a domain name, make sure that it’ll be something that is easy to remember. Your company name is the most obvious choice but others find it more effective if they use domains that reflect your product or service.
Other helpful tips in choosing a domain name include :
> avoid using hyphens because a person’s natural behavior is to type a phrase as is
> use plurals or add ‘my’ or ‘the’ to your domain name if website.com is already taken
> if you can’t get the .com , you may try the .org or .net , or your country domain
> you may opt to choose a popular keyword that represent your company for effective SEO
